


Old Friends by Yolanda and D. Ramsey

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Episode Related, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 05:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/794432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Simon muses about the friends he's made and Jim and Blair's relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Friends by Yolanda and D. Ramsey

Disclaimer: Just playing with characters created by other people. Promise  
to put them back when we're done. Summary: Simon figures it out. Warnings:  
Spoilers for "Finkelman's Folly," some minor "Siege" and "Reunion" references.

Notes: Many thanks to Elizabeth, Heidi, and Desi for quickly beta-reading this little story. Enjoy. Comments are welcome! (If you can't think of anything else to say, just tell us which scene or sentence you liked the best -- or the least.) 

_______ 

**Old Friends**

by

Yolanda and D.  
Ramsey

By the time Sunday night rolled around, Simon Banks had realized that he was lonely. He didn't normally have problems being alone, but for some reason, his thoughts this weekend had been all about the lack of companions in his life. 

Oh, he had plenty of acquaintances. But most of them were at work, and he had to be careful to maintain a professional distance between himself and those he supervised. There were a few exceptions to that rule, Jim Ellison being the primary one. Jim had easily crossed the divide between colleague and friend long ago. 

Simon had watched Jim and Carolyn get together, and then split up. He'd been there when Jim needed someone to go drinking with him after their divorce was finalized. And Jim had been there for him through the last days of his marriage to Joan. Had taken him out and silently gotten him drunk enough to finally be able to stop thinking about what else he might have done to save the relationship. Had helped him blur the pain of loss for a little while, so that it became a manageable hurt, one which he could cover with work and a few small daily distractions. 

After they had worked together to rescue Daryl and Blair from the terrorists at the station, Simon had to admit to himself that Jim was probably his closest friend in the world. It wasn't really a great distinction -- there weren't many people he could call a friend. But it was a close enough relationship that he'd felt comfortable giving Jim's number as an emergency contact when he'd gone to his class reunion. No, Jim Ellison was no longer just a colleague. Simon was pleased to be able to call him a friend, even if that status sometimes made it difficult to be his supervisor, as well. 

After a weekend of introspection, Simon felt that he should have more personal friends. When he and Joan had gotten married, they'd had lots of friends, mostly other couples. After Daryl had been born, however, they'd found themselves more and more by themselves. The multiple demands of parenting, his job, and then his promotion to captain had meant that he'd had no time to maintain his friendships. It hadn't been a big deal at the time; all of their friends had also been busy with their careers and children. But after the divorce, most of their friends had kept in touch with Joan. Simon was beginning to realize that his workaholic lifestyle -- the main reason for the divorce -- had left him no time for friendship and companionship. 

//I should have gone in to work this weekend.// Taking the entire weekend off from work had seemed like a good idea on Friday. It had been a hectic week; he'd been eating takeout at his desk so often that the delivery guys had been calling *him* to ask if he wanted the usual. 

He turned on the television. Maybe that would distract him enough for the rest of the evening. And then he could go to work the next morning. 

He grinned. And after work, Jim was hosting the Monday Night Football party. That would get his mind off these depressing thoughts. 

*** 

"Move it, big guy." Blair Sandburg nudged his partner to the side of the couch and settled down between Simon and Jim. 

The gang was all over at Jim's place for the evening. Ryf, Joel and Henri were sitting on one couch, and Simon, Blair and Jim were on the other one, facing the television. Blair had just brought the bowls of popcorn from the kitchen and was handing them out. 

"Hey, don't hog all the popcorn, Joel." Jim was amused, watching the bomb squad captain grab one bowl for himself. 

"Look at that play!" Ryf yelled. "Didja see that throw!" All the men leaned forward to catch the instant replay. 

Simon still hadn't been able to shake the thoughtful mood he'd been in all weekend, and felt more like an observer than a participant in this male bonding ritual. More beer was definitely needed. He drained the bottle in his hand as he went to the fridge. "Anyone else want a beer?" 

A chorus of yeas answered him, and he went to grab a full case from the fridge. Jim and Blair had gone up to Vancouver on the weekend, taking advantage of the lower Canadian dollar. They'd brought back some Canadian beer to share with their friends. Stronger than American beer, it made Simon recall the joke he'd heard once -- "Why is American beer like making love in a canoe?" The answer: "Because it's fucking close to water." 

He smiled to himself. It was definitely potent stuff. Tasty, too. He headed back to the living room, looking at the guys huddled around the television. Jim's arm was on the back of the couch, and his hand was in Blair's hair. Simon blinked. Yup, it wasn't just the alcohol blurring his vision. Jim was definitely playing with Blair's hair. He was twisting a curl around a finger, letting it spring back into place and then twisting again. 

He looked again at Jim. The man didn't even seem to be aware of what he was doing. His eyes were on the television, following the play. 

Simon handed the beers around to the guys. When he passed one to Jim, he met his friend's eyes, and raised one of his eyebrows. 

"Oh, hey, thanks, Simon." Jim seemed oblivious to the question in Simon's eyes. 

Simon sat back and glanced at Blair. It took a moment for Blair to notice the change in Simon's mood, but he shortly turned to meet the captain's eyes. A little defiantly, he sat further back into the couch, his head closer to Jim's hand, his shoulder under Jim's arm. 

//Oboy.// Simon settled down on his end of the couch. //I'm gonna have to deal with this later.// He took a gulp of his beer and settled back into the couch. 

Despite his resolution, he couldn't concentrate on the game any more, and started looking around the apartment. It had become a warmer place since Blair had moved in. The changes had been small at first, but slowly, Blair had made it clear that this was also his home. Little knicknacks that Blair had picked up on his travels were scattered around the loft, and there were new prints hanging on the walls. Even while Carolyn and Jim had been living together, the loft had been cold and sterile, just a place to sleep. Now, under Blair's influence, the loft had been transformed into a home, a place to live and hang out. 

Blair got up to go to the bathroom, blocking Jim's view momentarily. Jim swatted at his partner's butt to get him out of the way. Simon had seen them do this often before, but his thoughts were re-interpreting the movement. He took another gulp of beer. 

The pizza arrived at halftime. Jim and Blair went to the kitchen to grab plates and napkins. Simon watched them from the couch. Watched as their bodies moved in a subconscious dance of touch while they worked as a team in the tiny kitchen area. Jim said something to Blair, and the smaller man elbowed him in the ribs, grinning up at his partner. 

His partner. Those words now rang with a different meaning in Simon's mind. He'd known that they were good friends, but obviously, they'd gone a little further. They brought the plates and napkins back to the living room, and Simon got up to go to the bathroom. 

As he passed Blair's room, he noticed that it felt somehow different. He couldn't quite figure it out. The bed was neatly made, and there was a different cover on it, a plain blue one. He looked up into Jim's bedroom, and realized what was missing from Blair's room. The woven native blanket that had been on Blair's bed was now draped over a chair upstairs. He realized that Blair's room now felt like a spare room. There were still papers and knicknacks in the room, but the focus was now on the desk. Some things were piled on the bed, as if it wasn't being used regularly. //And you call yourself a detective. This has obviously been going on for a while, and you've only just noticed.// 

Simon headed back to the living room, shaking his head and trying to decide what to do with this newfound knowledge. He grabbed another beer from the fridge and headed back to the living room. More alcohol was the answer. He'd deal with it tomorrow, when he could see Jim in his office. 

*** 

"Jim, my office. Now." Simon had been dreading this moment, but knew that he needed to say something to his friend. He sat behind his desk, watching his best detective amble into the office, settle himself on a chair. 

"What's up, Simon?" Jim seemed a bit tense. 

Simon wasn't sure if that perception wasn't a projection of his own awkward feelings. "Last night," Simon began. 

"Oh yeah, Blair told me that he thought you'd noticed." He looked warily at Simon. "And are you ok with it?" 

"It's not whether or not I'm ok with it. It's the fraternization policy." Simon reflected back a few weeks, when he'd caught Blair and Cassie eating Chinese takeout in the office. That warning about fraternization had certainly been for the wrong ears, he thought ruefully. 

"But he's not even an employee. We figured that it didn't apply to him." Jim was starting to get belligerent and defensive. 

Simon leaned forward. "That may be true, but your emotional involvement is another problem. What happens when he's in trouble and you have to decide who to save -- him or another civilian? What if you're in trouble and he decides to go in after you? I'll admit that he's good, and I've gotten used to having him around, but he's not trained to be a cop." 

"Look, we've been together for a while now, and you've only just noticed." Jim was obviously trying to be reasonable. "He's the best working partner I've ever had, cop or not. And whatever we do at home has nothing to do with how I do my job. You just have to look at my record to see that." 

Simon had to admit that Jim was right. His best detective had only become better since he'd brought the long-haired enthusiastic student into the precinct. He sat back in his chair. "Ok, I won't do anything for now. As long as you don't let your relationship affect your job." 

Jim stood up. "It hasn't, and it won't." He headed for the door. 

Simon's eyes followed Jim as he returned to his desk in the bullpen. He gave a shake of his head as Jim ruffled Blair's hair before resuming his seat beside the younger man. He watched amused as some form of silent communication passed between them. Then all amusement fled as Blair beamed a mega-watt smile his way. 

Simon still wasn't sure that he'd made the right decision. Was his friendship with Jim clouding his better judgement? Blair's ride- along pass had long since expired. He and Jim had decided not to renew it, as that might call unwanted attention to the unusual arrangement with a civilian. 

His thoughts drew inward again. Had that decision been before or after Blair and Jim had gotten together? He shied away from that subject, reluctant to examine it too closely. Second-guessing himself was never a good idea; it led to indecision and worry, and his job demanded that he be able to make quick judgement calls. 

Was it because his friend had just told him that he was in a gay relationship? No. While it was an unexpected development, it wasn't a personal problem for Simon. He'd grown accustomed to Blair over the last two years; had even started to count on the young anthropologist's incredibly vast store of unusual knowledge. Was about to classify the smart young man as another friend. 

The problem, he eventually decided, was that his friendship with both men might be clouding the way he did his job. //Leave it alone for now. They're both adults. They've proven they can work together, and they've been doing that very well. And they seem to be making each other happy.// Decision made, he went back to the paperwork on his desk. 

*** 

(a few weeks later) 

The hospital room was quiet now. It was a pleasant relief, after all the buzz and commotion a couple of hours ago. Simon lay back on his bed and reflected back on the previous week. 

It had begun well and ended well, but there had been some awful moments in the middle. He'd spent the previous weekend coming to terms with his life and deciding to take charge of it again. The first thing he'd decided was that it was time to stop renting his apartment and to start looking to buy a condominium. He'd gone out condo-shopping with Jim; just window-shopping, but they'd seen enough that he had an idea of how much he'd have to spend for what he wanted. 

He'd gone to the bank on Monday morning to ask for a pre- approved loan and while he was in the bank, it had been held up. The panicked robbers had shot him, and the next faces he'd seen had been Blair's, then Jim's, as he fought his way to consciousness. 

They'd snuck in to see him, they explained. They wanted to know how he was doing. Simon noticed that they'd become more comfortable being affectionate with each other in his presence. Jim's hand was buried under Blair's hair, unconsciously stroking the smaller man's neck. Their conversation wasn't long; the painkillers were still blurring Simon's thoughts. But he sent them off to the office with a smile, and grinned to himself as he heard hospital security stopping them in the hallway. 

He'd almost died a couple of times that week, but Amy had caught the first murder attempt, and Jim had halted the second. Amy ... his thoughts drifted to the nurse who he'd just met that week. Nice woman, competent, intelligent. //Wonder if she's single.// It had been a while since Simon had dated; he wasn't sure if he was picking up on the right signals. //Thought she was Joan at first. Wonder if she took offence?// He recalled how she'd helped him all week; she'd even spent her breaks in his room, keeping him company. No, she hadn't been offended. 

//What a week.// It had started with a resolution to take charge of his life. It was ending with a possible new romance. Simon had never thought of himself as a thinking man, but now, in these late hours in the hospital, there was little else to do. 

He mused on the nature of love and friendship. //Never expected Jim to fall in love with a guy. But he and Sandburg are good together. It's a good partnership -- work and personal. Wonder how they got together. Who made the first move? Or did it just happen, like so much else in their lives together?// 

He drifted off to sleep feeling sentimental. He'd had so many visitors in the last week that he could no longer doubt that he had friends. Some acquaintances from his life with Joan had even dropped by, and he'd been happy to see them, collecting numbers and promising to get together. 

It wasn't good to be lonely. He'd spent the first part of his life thinking that life was about what you did, how much you made. Now, looking around at what he valued, he knew that life was about relationships with people, the friends he'd made along the way, the joy that people could bring to each other's lives. He hoped that he'd remember this late-night moment of wisdom in the morning. 

*** 

A few days after he was released from the hospital, Simon was able to go in to work. Jim and Blair had dropped by every evening, and kept him posted on his temporary replacement. Sarah Finkelman had rubbed Jim the wrong way at first, but they seemed to have reached some kind of compromise around the balance of power in the office. While they weren't friends yet, they respected each other professionally, which was all that was necessary. 

He was pleasantly surprised by Finkelman's comments about Jim and Blair's unusual partnership. He'd commented on the freon bust, and she had answered, "Wouldn't'a happened without Ellison." She saw Blair turn away and added, "And Sandburg. They're quite a team." 

Simon grinned and answered, "Don't I know it." He'd long since given up trying to justify his decision to let them stay together. Whether it was because Jim was such a good friend, or because of the undeniable fact that Jim and Blair were one of the best police partnerships he'd ever seen, he still hadn't been able to decide. Having an external validation of that partnership, however, was warming. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Taggart, bringing flowers from Amy. Jim sneezed, and Finkelman joked, "Oh, so it is flowers, All this time I thought it was me." 

"Nah, it's just captains in general," Jim quipped and walked away from the flowers. 

Blair went after him, one hand in the middle of his partner's back. 

Simon watched the two of them walk together. He didn't know how they managed to create that bubble of intimacy in the middle of the bustling bullpen. One little touch, not at all suggestive of anything but friendship. But he could almost see the taut connection between them as they moved together out the door. 

//Yeah, it's about friendship. And love. Wherever you find it.// 

*** 

End 


End file.
